Tricky weather conditions mean this year’s harvest was something of a mixed bag for arable farmers, but following the UK’s warmest summer on record, apple growers are reporting a quality harvest and flavoursome fruit, thanks to record-breaking sugar levels.
Across cider-producing counties, fruit size has been small, given variable rainfall levels, but the sugar levels in fruit are excellent after the blazing summer.
Orchardist and cider maker Neil Macdonald, of Orchard Park Farm, near Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, described the 2025 cider apple crop as ‘a moderate to good crop’.
“We are halfway through harvest and the final scores are not on the doors, but 50% of the apples have been harvested and they are in the barn, without being in the mud.
“The numbers are good, size is not, there is not enough juice as the apples are too small, but the sugar levels are superb,” explained Mr Macdonald, who chairs Wells NFU branch.
He grows English cider bittersweets in extensive bush and traditional orchards, contract pressing for growers and producers nationwide.